Ken Overberg, S.J.

20th Sunday, Aug 19, 2007

It is always important to keep in mind the layers that make up our gospels. Today it may be especially helpful. The bottom layer is the words and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth. After experiencing the risen Jesus, the early followers wanted to share their story with others, remembering but also interpreting the life of Jesus and creating scenes to communicate the truth of their experience. Some of this material was written down. Still later, decades after the death of Jesus, others using these two layers and paying attention to their own contexts, wrote the gospels.

For weeks now we have been proclaiming Luke’s account of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, a journey that is a literary structure and a profound symbol, a journey that instructs Luke’s community—and now us—about the meaning of discipleship. And today we hear about its cost. The sayings put on Jesus’ lips may surprise us, for they do not seem to fit the forgiving, compassionate, nonviolent Jesus. That is where remembering the layers can help us.

Today’s gospel speaks of fire and baptism and division! The image of fire was often used as a symbol of the divine, and Jesus could well have used it to proclaim the coming of God’s reign—the central focus of his life and ministry. Baptism here may refer to martyrdom; so this saying may come from an earlier community reflecting on the death of Jesus, and then repeated because of the possibility of martyrdom in Luke’s community. The section on division is based on the prophet Micah, chapter 7, and looks ahead to the end time. Here it is transformed to speak of the cost of discipleship in Luke’s community: following Jesus creates a new family and may lead to alienation in biological families.

Fire, baptism, division!

Our first reading is from Jeremiah. The setting is around 600 BCE, when Babylon, the new superpower, was a major threat to Israel. The prophet Jeremiah, reading the signs of the times in light of his experience of God, urged the king to surrender—and so save the people and Jerusalem from destruction. Other people thought that this was craziness or treason or even a rejection of their religious heritage as a chosen people. So they tried to get rid of Jeremiah. Religion and politics have long been an explosive mix!

Last week we began reading the letter to the Hebrews as our second reading. Curiously, it is not a letter, but a literary sermon. It was not written by Paul, but by an unknown author. And it was not addressed to Hebrews, but certainly to Christians who perhaps had a Jewish background. Hebrews is a pastoral exhortation to a community in crisis, urging them to persevere in faith and hope.

We gather as disciples of Jesus, open to new challenge and to new life.

Let’s listen to God’s word!

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Where in your life are you experiencing the cost of discipleship?

Perhaps it is a call to speak and act against the injustices in our society and church. Perhaps an invitation to new steps or even a new path on your journey to Jerusalem. Perhaps the challenge of some division in your family or among friends.

Where do you look for—and find—the nourishment, courage, and hope to respond?